Only pure-blood vampire families deserved to have a noble title. Until recently, there used to be five noble, pure-blood vampire families. Of course, after the annihilation of the Adragnas, the noble families were down to four. The noble family was allowed to keep the title, as long as there was at least one pure-blood member living in the family. The Grimoards were currently down to three family members. Two of them were pure-bloods: King Mael and Princess Elora, and there was also a half-blood, Prince Kanan, who resembled more of a human than a vampire. After the assassination of the former Duke and Duchess, the Calvet name was held by only two members: Sariel and his sister, Dominique. The other noble families that could potentially aim for the throne were the Desai family and the Orseolo family.
The Desais originally came from India, where they were once worshiped as gods. There were currently four pure-blood noble vampires in their family, yet all of them seemed relativ
Throughout my life, I had always tried to run away from danger, not step right into the middle of it. I felt the best thing I could do was to hide. I had never deliberately faced my fears. I was more than aware I couldn't win against my father and his pack, but that was when I was fighting alone. It all changed the moment Sariel stood by my side. I relied on his strength and influence, but I had changed as well. I became stronger and more fierce. When I fought with the wolf from the northern pack, it was something more than a desperate fight for survival. I fought because I had the right to be free. Even though I thought of Sariel's decision to take me to the noble gathering as something absolutely reckless, I knew I would be safe by his side. I didn't know exactly when I started trusting him so much, but deep down I was convinced that he wouldn't let anyone harm me. As soon as Leo finished his lecture and left, Martha knocked on my door. She brought me lunch
I woke up naked in Sariel's embrace. This time he left a different type of mark: love bites. He left them all over my body. He didn't drink my blood. He didn't need it. He simply wanted to be with me and was unable to hide how much I was glad about it. A stupid grin didn't leave my face as I lied in his arms, pretending to sleep just to prolong this moment as much as I could. Although my rationality kept sending all kinds of warnings, I chose to ignore them. I wanted to cherish this morning while it lasted without thinking if this would change anything within me or not. I just laid my head on Sariel's chest and listened to his amazing, slow heartbeat while breathing in his scent. "Are you awake, love?" His sleepy voice sounded like the sweetest reward for trying not to move in his arms for about an hour. "Um…" I nodded, hiding my flushed face in his chest once more. He chuckled and stroked my hair with one hand while the other pulled me closer against his nak
Sariel left me by the car and started walking towards the main entrance. All kinds of emotions circled within my heart. The most vivid one was anger; it was the one I was trying to hide, yet it surfaced no matter what. "Asshole," I muttered under my breath. He stopped and turned around. "What did you say?" he hissed. I glared at him. I wanted him to know that I wasn't going to submit to him, not like that. I wasn't his slave, and I wasn't going to allow him to treat me as one. The problem was, I was too weak to oppose him. "Oops." I theatrically covered my mouth with my hand, yet my expression stayed as cold as before, "It must have been my human emotions reacting... But don't worry. I will not expect you to understand it." A soft snort left Leo's mouth. Sariel instantly glared at him, making Leo apologetically lower his head. I kept looking Sariel in the eyes, daring him. His pupils flashed red for a second, but he instantly regained his comp
I had to say that if Aryan had planned to infuriate Sariel, he had done an amazing job. The future king was a second away from exploding. "Sariel… Calm down… Please…" I whispered softly, being certain he would hear it. With his fierce temper, I could already imagine him slashing Aryan's throat with his claws. I only hoped that he would decide to focus on me before a disaster would have happened. He looked into my eyes and my pleading gaze. His fiery pupils slowly faded, turning gray. I sighed in relief. Sariel stroked my hand on his shoulder and smiled at me. Then he instantly changed his expression, turning his eyes on Aryan. "Sir Desai seems overly concerned about my love life. I can assure you that I always make my own choices, and I am not planning to have anyone choose my partner. As for my marked one, I will not abandon her," Sariel stated, composedly. Aryan chuckled, looking Sariel in the eye. He was intentionally provoking him, challenging him
I stepped back, feeling my heart pounding. I knew I should act calmly and confidently, and that Sariel's mark was my protection, but I couldn't. Aryan was towering over me, and with his strongly built body standing this close to me, I could feel as if he could crush me with his hand if he wanted to."How about a drink, beautiful?" he asked, and immediately rushed towards the nearby table without waiting for my answer.He went back carrying two glasses of prosecco and handed me a glass. I looked at the liquid suspiciously."There is no poison inside," he chuckled, noticing my hesitant reaction.I figured that arguing with him certainly wouldn't be a good idea. I smiled nervously and took a sip while cautiously looking into his eyes, then immediately put the glass away. He grinned and drank his wine in two big gulps."Now, tell me, lovely lady… What makes you smell so delicious? " he said, alluringly deepening his voice."I'm a werewolf
I could literally choke from the amount of hostility floating in the air. Dominique stepped closer to me as if she was going to shield me from attack. Suddenly, someone's hand hit my cheek. The slap came so fast and was so hard that it made me fall on the floor. The high-pitched sound inside my ear that came from the blow felt as if it was going to burst my head. It took me a few seconds to lift my eyes and realize what had happened."How dare you! Raising your voice on a noble is severely punished!" Duke Orseolo's fuming voice spread through the room.He was still holding his hand high from hitting my face. He must have come from behind and was too fast for Dominique to notice him on time. She was standing next to him, glaring at him with an outraged expression, yet she remained silent.The other nobles gathered around me, staring at me with disdain. They were whispering about the punishment I should receive for my words. Anger rose within my veins. I was weake
Dominique grabbed my hand and dragged me to the side of the room. Some nobles left in a hurry, trying to avoid being accidental casualties in the duel of those who appeared to be the strongest among all vampires."If the Duke challenges me, then I will accept. After I win, I will take your marked one, fuck her until the breaks, and then drain her to the last drop of her blood," Aryan grinned viciously while licking his lips.Sariel gritted his teeth. His fury instantly made him pull out his deadly claws. The hellish fire in his eyes was prepared to burn his enemy to ashes."What is the meaning of this?!" The Princess's enraged voice filled the room.Those who stayed in the room immediately turned their eyes on her. She looked at the bleeding-out on the floor, Duke Orseolo, the crashed wall, and Aryan and Sariel, who were ready to fight to the death. She ran towards Sariel, panic clearly rising in her eyes."What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled
I wanted to stay like this forever. I melted in Sariel's embrace, ignoring everything that surrounded us. Nothing mattered except for the fact that he was safe, and he was there close to me. His arms were hugging me tightly. Neither of us wanted to let go. He was kissing my hair while gently stroking my back. I let my tears wash away some of the blood from his suit jacket as I tried to hide my crying eyes in his chest. We could have stayed indifferent to the awkward silence around us if it weren't for Dominique and her ostentatious throat clearing."Perhaps you two should wait until you get back to the castle," she grinned, while meaningfully raising her eyebrows.Sariel sighed. He released his arms around me but grabbed my hand instead, so I could stand beside him, facing the crowd. I didn't mind being dirty with blood. I felt more confident than ever, ready to look those other vampires in the eye.I gazed around; there were around thirty of them, cautiously st